AMG GT roadster confirmed
Mercedes-AMG boss says flagship AMG soft-top will be on sale 2017, will be revealed later this yearAMG boss, Tobias Moers, has announced that following the introduction of the 430kW/700Nm AMG GT R, Mercedes' performance division will unleash a third derivative based on its fast AMG GT - a roadster version.
On sale, potentially, as soon as early 2017, Moers confirmed the arrival of the AMG GT roadster in an interview with British car magazine, Auto Express.
When asked if a drop-top version of the fast AMG GT coupe was being considered, the AMG boss said: "The convertible has moved well beyond the drawing board. It will be the next AMG GT model to arrive".
Originally, it was thought an AMG GT roadster might conflict with Mercedes-AMG high performance SL offerings, but speaking to the Brit journalist, Moers didn't see any issues.
"The SL is a grand tourer, this will absolutely be a proper sports car".
According to the AMG chairman, the AMG GT was always planned to spin-off a roadster and the ultra-stiff platform it’s based on will cope with going roofless with a minimal amount of additional structural support.
Even the suspension will need little modifying, says Moers.
Under the bonnet of the roadster the twin-turbo 4.0-litre V8 is expected to carry over unchanged from the coupe. That means it should come with the same 375kW/650Nm and, thanks to its super-fast seven-speed dual-clutch transmission, the roadster will come close to matching the coupe's 3.8 second 0-100km/h time.
It's not known how much of a premium over the coupe's $294,610 (plus on-road costs) the Porsche 911 Cabriolet rival will command when it eventually comes here.
As well as the new GT R and upcoming roadster version, Moers confirmed a fourth road-legal AMG GT is also in development. The AMG boss didn’t tell Auto Express that that car may be but, but he did tell us at last weekend's Goodwood Festival of Speed that both Black Series and GT4 versions will be forthcoming.
F1 champ Lewis Hamilton also told motoring.com.au he'd like to help develop an 'LH Series' model with AMG, which could also be based on the GT and/or powered by a V12 engine.
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